“THORP should be shut down for good,” states Norwegian Minister for the Environment, Ms Helen Bjørnøy, after British authorities have given the green light for the reopening of the THORP plant at Sellafield.
On 9 January British nuclear safety authorities decided to reopen the facility for reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel at the THORP plant at Sellafield. THORP has been out of operation since April 2005, when a major leak of radioactive material was discovered.
The reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel at THORP causes the accumulation of large volumes of liquid highly radioactive waste which carries a risk of serious pollution that may also affect Norway. Furthermore, the 2005 leak and other earlier incidents show that safety measures at the THORP plant are unsatisfactory.
“The THORP plant should be shut down for good, and I am very disappointed that British authorities have now allowed for the reopening of this plant,” Ms Bjørnøy said. “I have raised this issue on several occations with my UK colleague, and Norway's view has also been communicated at prime ministerial level. Concerns over the possible reopening of THORP have also been raised by the Nordic Ministers for the Environment in concert.”
Although the reopening has now been allowed, the THORP plant will probably not start up until April, due to technical problems at a related plant which processes and stores liquid highly radioactive waste from the reprocessing process. This is yet another example that both THORP and other facilities handling the extremely polluting waste from reprocessing are prone to technical problems and unforeseen incidents.
“I would urge the British government to take the opportunity offered by this delay to reconsider this matter and put a stop to the reopening of THORP,” Ms Bjørnøy said.
Official UK plans and strategies suggest that spent fuel from future UK production of nuclear power will be stored directly rather than being reprocessed, and there are no plans for further operations at THORP after 2010/11, when existing reprocessing contracts will be completed. Should the plant be reopened in April, Ms Bjørnøy takes it for granted that any reprocessing activity will be limited to existing contracts and not continued after 2010.
“Neighbouring countries such as Ireland and Norway are very vulnerable to any major discharge of radioactive material from THORP or its associated waste facilities. It is disappointing that UK authorities have attached so little importance to the interests and views of countries like Norway, Ireland and Iceland when making their decision on whether to reopen the plant or not. I think the time is now ripe for a closer cooperation between these countries in order to secure our interests when important decisions are made in the matter of future operation or shut-down of THORP and related nuclear facilities at Sellafield,” Helen Bjørnøy concluded.
To read Bjørnøy's reply to a question on this matter in the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting, February 2007, click here.